For today's WEP post, I wrote about What Flash Fiction is
and Why it's an excellent writing exercise.
Please check it out. There's also a list of links that will give you access to
dozens of other flash fiction sites. Some of those sites pay for work and some
do not, but it's a great list to have handy if you're looking for a great
challenge or publication. Don't forget the WEP's first challenge is in August
on Spectacular Settings. Read more about it on the site, as well as the
October, and December challenge.

For your edification, here is the story that won honorable
mention.

CHOICES

Haley looked into the abyss. Between the sheer marble and
granite walls, lava flowed with the blinding brilliance of the sun. Pops of
flame exploded in whirlpools of unfathomable appetite, and the heat kissed her
porcelain skin with desire. She used a suspension bridge during her last
escape, but Kaden recaptured her and wrenched her link to safety from its
moorings. Despite her betrothal to his twin brother, King Zane, Kaden wanted
her for himself and was willing to go to war to achieve his goal. She stared at
the magma, a death that assured no resurrection,
while her reason for flight replayed.

*****

Recuperating from pneumonia, Haley curled up on a large
chair in front of the fire. The lock on the door clicked, and without looking,
she knew Kaden had entered the room. The atmosphere felt heavy, airless, but
she did not move.

"Feeling better?" Kaden asked with faux concern.

Despite forehand knowledge, Haley's heart jumped in her
chest, and her body stiffened at the sound of his caustic voice. The warmth
radiating from the fire turned to waves of ice that girdled her bones and
captured her heart in a glacial chill.

"You’ll never convince Zane that I was behind your
kidnapping. Be careful, or you'll be the cause of his death." Kaden's
voice sounded bored, as though he were tired of playing games.

"I broke the engagement. Zane left without me."

"But you didn't tell him you were staying."

"I prefer an eternity in hell to a minute with you.
You have my word. I will not marry Zane, but touch him, and I’ll kill myself.
No one wins."

"You’re wrong. I always win. I will have you. Dr.
Zheng has a way to make even the dead live. I brought proof."

The sound of a clattering chain intensified the cold and
tightened her gut into a knot. He had locked her in; was he now going to chain
her to her prison? Haley did not move, but Kaden stepped closer, and the fear
that he would touch her had her jumping to her feet. She kept the chair between
them but gauged her chance for escape. She noticed the open door. Her illness
caused her to sway, but she fought her weakness.

Nothing in life had prepared her for the vision before her.
Screams formed in the deepest part of her, but she held them inside as one hand
covered her mouth and the other held tightly to the chair. She wanted to close
her eyes but could not because an abomination of nature lumbered toward her.

The man she knew as Goren, her kidnapper, the same man she
had witnessed being fed to wild dogs, slowly moved into the light. His death
was a truth she could not doubt because she'd witnessed
the horror, and yet he stood before her, held on a chain by two large men as
his handlers.

He barely had clothes,
or skin, and yet he moved forward on his own two feet. His skin, what was left
of it, black, blue, and green, hung loose
where the voracious beasts had ripped him open with their teeth. His remaining
muscle hung in purple shreds, and bones, some broken, protruded in ugly bloody
angles. The smell of death wafted off him like a putrid fog. A dead man lived.

Kaden's next statement jabbed Haley like a blade through
the heart.

"I will have you—even in death."

The proof of his words stood before her, decomposing.
Goren's eyes held her gaze, solid blue, rimmed in red, and clouded by tears.
His eyes pleaded with her because his mouth and his throat were missing. This
horrendously deformed, half-consumed body understood, knew his condition. Goren
was fully aware of his own miscreation.

Haley saw the horror of her future.

Kaden laughed. "The doctor is a genius."

Kaden had underestimated her strength and the loyalty of
their undead pet. The monster attacked Kaden, and Haley bolted from the room.
She made it through the mountain tunnel and stood above the Gulf of Fire, but
her pursuer found her.

She turned, her heels on the edge of the precipice, and
smiled. "I've chosen my destiny." Haley felt the arms of angels catch
her as the fires of hell opened to swallow her.

The End

749 Words

Yolanda Renee (c) 2015

*****

The WEP-Write...Edit...Publish is all about preparing your work for publication. Write your story, edit your story, and get feedback and constructive criticism for your story, plus you'll have fun doing it!

Hi Yolanda! High praise from Chrys. That last sentence is a wonder! The whole story zings with horror. You certainly deserved your Honourable Mention. Just read your previous response to the picture, too, and that is, like, wow!!

I would love to hear from you, say hello and leave your blog address - I'll visit, but please take with you my undying gratitude that you stopped by for a read. Be well, be happy, and may your blog surfing bring you joy!